The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-09-17
MY Happiest Hour.

~ ShAlotLdh bOIo1CI L6IlS Ills
experience in the happiest hour of
his life:
1t was when l lost my arm at the
battle of the Seven Pines. on the
peninsula. We made a charge about
the middle of the afternoon. The fir
ing was very heavy, and | fell, Sc
verely wounded. l was shot through
the groan, and received a flesh wound
beside this in the arm.
On coming to myself the firing was
receding, and there were none near
me but the dead and wounded, as
helpless as myself. l began to be
very thirsty, and the pain of my
wounds, especially that through the
body, was intense.
About twenty yards from me [
could hear the cool. ripping sound of
little brook running among some
thick bushes, AS [ tried to drag my.
self toward it, for the lower part of
my body was helpless, | found my
arm was broken.
Slowly and with great pain reach
ed it, only to find the water running
in channel some two feet below the
level of the field, and utterly out of
my reach. 1t had been a hot day,
and | was parched with thirst and
fever. Water was there in my sight,
almost in my reach. and I was dying
for the want of it. l dragged myself
farther, reached over, lost my balance
and fell into the stream. By Gods
good providence | was able to save
myself a little. so that my face did
not go under. / tainted with the
pain, and lay unconscious | know
not how long.
When [ came to myself [ found
my broken arm under me. the lower
part of my body in the stream, which
was about twenty inches deep, and
my head resting on the bank. The
cool water had stopped the flow of
| blood.
Above me, on the field. were the
sound and voices of the stretcher
bearers, collecting the wounded and
burying the dead. I tried to shout
so they should hear me, but was too
weak. | was down in the brook, and
the dense, thick bushes completely
hid me from any one above.
Hearing the voices receding. 1 tried
to lift myself and call with all my
might, and, in the effort, tainted
again.
When | came to, all were gone, and
the field was still. l was left alone
to die. "He was among the missing"
would be all my friends would know
of me.
1 thought of my young wife and
my little one in my New England
home. 1t was hard, very hard. to
think of dying so 80 lonely, so yerv
lonely.
There was only one place l could
60 for comfort. l went there, and
this sweet passage came into my
mind. The dear Lord seemed to say,
"Let not your heart be troubled !;
neither let it be afraid" / was able
to give myself, my wife. my child,
to his care. The peace of God came
down into my soul, and filled it with
joy unutterable.
looked up into the deep blue sky,
which L could see here and there
through the leaves, and saw overhead
the white, feecy clouds sailing past,
and the sun STOPPING towards the
west. L thought. before that sun
sets, l shall be beyond the clouds, be-
yond the sky, at home. / shall have
one of those many mansions. shall
see Jesus and my Father, God.
My peace ran like a river. tried
to sing. There. alone in those Vir-
ginia woods, buried to the neck in
water, and left, as | thought, to die,
spent the happiest hour of my life {:
and, as | sank once more into uncon-
seriousness, hoped to awake with God.
was found just alive and cared for
by the Confederates as they came on
the ground. God gave me great favor
with them, and they were kind to
me.
A firemen who had rendered effi-